United States captain Brandt Snedeker and International captain Geoff Ogilvy announced their six wildcard selections for the 2026 Presidents Cup on Tuesday. In a Golf Channel presentation, Snedeker chose Chris Gotterup, Xander Schauffele, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Jacob Bridgeman and Jackson Koivun to join automatic qualifiers Scottie Scheffler, Cameron Young, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, Russell Henley and Collin Morikawa on the American squad. Ogilvy countered with Corey Conners, Nico Echavarria, Sungjae Im, Ryo Hisatsune, Nick Taylor and Christiaan Bezuidenhout to round out a roster that already included Ryan Fox, Si Woo Kim, Hideki Matsuyama, Min Woo Lee, Tom Kim and Adam Scott.
Here is our breakdown of the picks, and what to expect when the two sides meet at Medinah later this month.
Biggest surprise
United States: Koivun! We argued his case in July after his victory at the 3M Open (just his third start as a pro), but the U.S. has long resisted using the Presidents Cup as a runway to the Ryder Cup. Tour officials will remind you, usually with some force, that this event is not an audition and has its own reason for existing. Yet the two ideas have never been at odds; the Presidents Cup can possess its own identity while helping prepare young Americans for the greater pressure waiting a year later. Snedeker and the selection committee finally showed some foresight, making a choice that serves the future without sacrificing much in the present. Better yet, the 21-year-old rookie gives the event something it desperately needs. Golf fans do not circle the Presidents Cup on the calendar as they do the Ryder Cup. The matches are competently played and mostly forgotten by October, the golf perfectly fine and the stakes difficult to feel from home. Koivun, considered one of the best amateurs in the last few decades before turning pro in June, gives viewers a reason to pay attention.
Internationals: Jason Day has not posted a top-35 finish since the Masters. He has missed the cut or withdrawn from four of his past five starts and failed to qualify for the FedEx Cup Playoffs. There was ample justification for leaving him home. Still, Day finished 11th in the International standings, and a roster lacking firepower near the bottom could have used another accomplished veteran. His injury history likely made the decision easier. It was probably the correct call, but seeing the former PGA champion left off the team remains a surprise.
Snubs
United States: There was no shortage of credible candidates, beginning with Ryan Gerard. He authored a terrific season, highlighted by a run at the Open and a third-place finish at the Tour Championship. He has both the game and personality to become a star, and if he avoids a difficult start Sunday at East Lake, there is a good chance he makes this team. J.J. Spaun also had a strong case, although his withdrawal from the Tour Championship because of injury—and the possibility that he remains compromised—likely ended his chances. Ben Griffin occupied an automatic qualifying position for most of the year, but his second-half slide would have made picking him increasingly difficult to defend.
Jared C. Tilton
Internationals: The Presidents Cup has been absurdly lopsided for most of its existence, and the divide has grown since LIV Golf stripped away much of the International team’s depth. At least two LIV players, Joaquin Niemann and Lucas Herbert, could have strengthened this roster. From the list of eligible players, Aldrich Potgieter might have been an entertaining gamble. Beyond that—and no offense, which usually means offense is coming—Ogilvy was choosing from a shallow pool.
One pick we wanted to see
United States: Gerard belongs on the short list. Gary Woodland also would have been a compelling choice after his comeback from post-traumatic stress, though he will still be at Medinah as an assistant captain. Patrick Reed had a case earlier in the year. He is eligible to play PGA Tour events again after serving his year-long suspension following his departure from LIV, but he failed to sustain his strong winter form. There's also the increasingly curious omission is Akshay Bhatia. Only 24, he has completed four full PGA Tour seasons and reached East Lake in each of the past three. Despite that consistency, he has yet to represent the United States in a team match as a professional. He keeps finding himself just outside the room. However, Koivun was the one people want to see, so on this front, hard to complain.
Internationals: Sudarshan Yellamaraju, who enjoyed a breakout season and emerged as one of golf’s best stories. His play faded during the second half, however. He missed four of his final six cuts and finished T-52 and T-47 in the two events in which he reached the weekend. He should remain part of the International team’s future. Given the roster’s limited depth, though, he would have been a worthwhile gamble in the present.
X-factors
United States: Xander Schauffele has been one of America’s best team competitors over the past decade and remains the type of presence every locker room wants. Yet despite recording seven top-10 finishes and ranking 11th in strokes gained, 2026 felt curiously quiet by the standard he established over the previous several seasons. The Americans are talented enough to win without Schauffele at his best. If he produces anything resembling his usual performance in these events, however, the Internationals’ path to an upset becomes awfully difficult to locate.
ANDREAS SOLARO
Internationals: Tom Kim. The 2022 Presidents Cup was Kim’s introduction to a wider audience. The 2024 edition brought a harsher lesson. He talked throughout the week in Montreal, failed to support much of it with his play, crossed the line on occasion and attempted to cast the Americans as the offending party. Even so, the Internationals finally have what they had lacked for years: an instigator, a recognizable face and someone capable of thoroughly irritating the Americans. Kim steadied himself in 2026 after several uneven seasons. If the Internationals are to leave Medinah with the cup, they will need him to become the player—and provocateur—he believes himself to be.
Prediction
There is little reason to revisit how thoroughly the Americans have controlled this event, and nothing on paper suggests the balance of power has shifted. This International team is stronger than the 2024 group, while the United States may lack some of the overwhelming front-end strength of past rosters. The match should be tighter than many expect. Still, asking the Internationals to finish the job on American soil is asking too much. United States 17, Internationals 13
